News has emerged that former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have signed a deal to make a new TV show with Amazon, despite Netflix having been touted as the most likely suitor. Set to be available as part of the Amazon Prime subscription, the as-yet-unnamed show will air next year. Clarkson tweeted that the three had “signed a deal” with Amazon just before... Read more »

There’s no resting on your laurels in the car industry. It might not, on the face of it, be the fastest-moving business with its seven-year product lifecycles, but the manufacturers are constantly working to improve their cars, launching revised versions once or twice in those seven years. Not even BMW can afford to let the grass grow under the wheels of its 3 Series, the brand’s best-selling ... Read more »

Honda’s CR-V compact SUV has been refreshed for 2015, but do the changes make it more competitive when compared to the daddy of this segment, the Nissan Qashqai? Exterior When Honda facelifted the CR-V, it’s probably fair to say that it spent more time working on the running gear and the interior than the exterior. Apart from the grille, there’s little to differentiate a 2015 CR-V from a 20... Read more »

When we look now look back at the early years of the millennium, they seem such carefree times. We conspicuously consumed with relative abandon – especially our cars. Those early noughties years were the days of peak SUV: new models were launched thick and fast, with many motorists getting hooked on their tank-like impregnability and raised driving position. The recession of 2008 – and fuel co... Read more »

Electric car maker Tesla will flesh out its range with a trio of new models before 2020. The Model X crossover will be available in the US by October, followed by the Model 3 compact executive by the end of 2017 and a return of the Roadster around 2019, according to a blog post from CEO Elon Musk. UK buyers will be expected to wait until late 2016 for the Model X to be converted for right-han... Read more »

Fiat’s updated 500 city car will come with a revised front end, new technology and a more efficient engine range when it arrives in the UK this September. Prices will start from £10,890 OTR, £380 more than the current entry price, but that is unlikely to threaten the 500’s status as one of the best cars you can lease for under £100 a month. It is the lightest of refreshes from Fiat and as t... Read more »

The British love their cars. As a nation, we punch way above our weight in terms of the number of cars we buy (or, more frequently these days, lease) in almost all segments. That love of cars also manifests itself in our predilections for particular types of car. We’re big buyers of hot hatches, for example. And as for the output of German premium manufacturers, well, we just can’t get enough ... Read more »

A study by the AA has discovered that six in ten British drivers (59%) think that the Chancellor’s new road tax system leaves “little or no incentive” to choose a green car. The road tax shake-up, which was announced as part of the Emergency Budget at the start of July and will come into place in April 2017, sees all cars with internal combustion engines incurring a flat rate of £140 a year. Only fully electric cars will be exempt from road tax and cars with a list price in excess of £40,000 will be subject to a £310 supplement for the first five years. The only aspect of taxation gover...

We all harbour a little ideal world of cruising down country lanes with the wind in our hair, but the impracticalities of soft-tops are often enough to leave us dreaming of it, rather than actually doing it. There is a way around this though. Folding hard-tops offer a thief-proof, weather-proof way of owning a convertible without sacrificing the top-down thrills. They’re the best of both worlds. Finding one isn’t always easy – many manufacturers, including Audi, Jaguar and Bentley, prefer a fabric roof to keep the weight down – but we’ve dug out five solid-roofed drop-tops you might want ...

After a six-year sabbatical, Jaguar has returned to the compact executive market with the XE. Sharing little with its ill-fated predecessor, the X-Type, the XE is hoping to take a much more substantial chunk of sales away from the Germans than any other Jaguar has ever managed. We drove the luxurious Portfolio model with the 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel engine to see whether that’s a realistic aim for the new ‘baby’ Jag. See all our Jaguar XE leasing deals: Business / Personal If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em Just one look at the exterior will tell you that the XE has the 3 Series, A4 and...

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has appointed Glenn McCulley as national fleet sales manager in a bid to improve the company’s standing in the fleet market. McCulley will be tasked with developing the reputation of FCA, which currently owns Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Fiat and Jeep, and improving the company’s sales among sub-500-vehicle fleets across the UK. He will also be responsible for managing the business centre operation, running the field team and designing, delivering and administrating the dealer network’s Fleet Dealer Specialist Programme. Interested in ordering FCA vehicles for you...

Business car leasing and paying a fixed monthly rate is considered the most effective way of preventing car depreciation and controlling fleet operating costs. Aside from fuel costs, depreciation is the biggest financial burden for fleets as improving residual values are cancelled out by rising list prices.

Car leasing is the most cost effective way of getting hold of that car you've always wanted. You'll never actually own the car, but you'll be able to drive it for a set period of time and simply hand it back to the leasing company without the worry of selling it on for a fraction of the price you paid in the first place.

Vans are what make businesses move, literally, and as with company car leasing, the monthly leasing costs can be offset against businesses' taxable profits, making it a tax efficient avenue. It's also a lot more palatable and manageable than losing a wedge in depreciation.

You're unsure on whether to buy or lease your next car? Not sure whether to take a company car or cash allowance? Sold on the idea of leasing your company vehicles but a little hazy on Benefit In Kind and advisory fuel rates? You'll need our easy-to-digest leasing guides.